One Great Thing About The New Year

Happy new year to you friends!

I hope you had a great festive season with family and friends. I also hope you got a time to rest, recharge and reflect. I don’t know about you but I am so excited for 2022. I know God has amazing things in store.

One great thing about the New Year is the prospect of something new. New beginnings, new opportunities, new doors and so on. Everything is new, new, new

But I won’t be talking about that today. I want to focus on something else.

Another great thing about a new year is the second chance we get to either make things right, to do things the right way, finish a project, repair broken bridges in a relationship, to correct some mistakes made in the previous year, and the list goes on. Whatever that thing is a new year brings with it a second chance to try again.

And this is important to know because a lot of people carry shame, guilt, anxiety, fear and so many other negative things from the past year which has a definite impact on the current year. Those people end up believing that the New Year has nothing different to offer them.

If you are one of those people I want to encourage you that the God we serve is the God of second chances. No matter how bad you have messed up He wants to give you a second chance. Take Jonah for example.

God called him to go preach to the people of Nineveh but he ran away from doing what God told him to do. But instead of disowning him or punishing him, God gave him a second chance to do the right thing,

“Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you. This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.”

Jonah 3:1-3

The Lord spoke to Jonah a second time and instead of running away like before Jonah grabbed the opportunity to do it right. And because he did Nineveh was saved from God’s punishment.

I also think of Peter who denied the Lord three times. One would think he blew it for good but Jesus gave him a second chance.

We serve a God of second chances. So as we are now in 2022 don’t let the mistakes and failures of 2021 stop you from having a great year. Take the guilt, shame, fear and anxiety you are carrying to the Lord’s feet. He has a second chance waiting for you.

Bless you friends

Start speaking better today.

“From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things.”

Proverbs 13:2

 

This is another thing God has been speaking to me about this year. I have been challenged

to improve the quality of my words. It’s especially hard to speak life when things don’t

seem to be going our way or when things are just bad but we need to. The word is very

very clear when it comes to the words we speak.

If you want to enjoy good things then start speaking better. Don’t allow yourself to speak

negatively when things are not going your way.

 

“From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands

brings them reward.”

Proverbs 12:14

 

It’s easy to speak positively when everything is going well but quite another story when we are

on the ground and losing. Speaking life doesn’t just happen, it’s a choice on our part. And just to

be clear I am not talking about pumping yourself up with motivational words only. I am talking about

declaring the word of God in your situations. Any one can say “everything is going to be okay” but

it is something else when you take God’s word and declare it as truth for yourself. Declaring

the word of God is powerful.

 

“From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled, with the harvest of their lips they are

satisfied.”

Proverbs 18:20

 

What are you trusting God for? Declare it, speak it out. Don’t let your faith remain silent. Speak

out what you believing for. Let’s this truth be something you use more and more in your life.

And not just in your life but in the life of others. Your friend may not have enough faith to declare

Healing over themselves but you can do it on their behalf. Use your words to encourage and inspire.

It’s time to work on the words that come out of our mouths today. Things begin to happen when we

speak out God’s word in our situations!

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

A two letter word for doubt.

“How long has this been happening? Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy.

The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us,

if you can.” What do you mean, “If I can?” Jesus asked. Anything is possible if a person believes.”

Mark 9:21-23

 

“Have mercy on us and help us, if You can?”

 

Why would the man ask for help if he doubted the Lord’s ability?

But before I go on a tangent and criticize the man I need to confess something. I have realized

the amount of times I use the word “If” in my conversation. It’s instinctive so it was hard to catch it

but recently I have been noticing how many times I have been using it.

When it comes to the Lord ability it’s either He can do it or He can’t. The word “if” suggests doubt

and uncertainty in the Lord’s ability.

“I would love to do this or that “IF” God comes through for me”
“I am believing for that situation to change “IF” the Lord hears my prayer”

 

These and more were the kind of statements I would make not knowing that I was casting doubt

on the Lord’s ability. The truth of the matter is that He can! He always can!

There is never an “IF” when God is involved. He is more than able to answer your prayer, to turn

things around in your life.

This year I have decided to get rid of the word “IF” from my vocabulary. It will mean intentionality

on my part. It will mean being more aware of the words that come out of my mouth. It will mean deliberately

choosing faith over doubt even when things don’t seem to be working. The issue is never God’s ability but if

we really believe Him. That’s what I took away from what I was shown.

The Lord wants us to believe in His ability because He is more than able. Deal with the doubts and misgivings

you have. Be honest about them and bring them to Him. He wants us to be in a place of faith and trust always.

It’s faith that pleases Him.

 

“The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24

Bless you friends.

 

Rolain

He promised it!

“The Lord made a promise to David. 

It was a sure promise that He will not take back. 

He promised, “I will make one of your descendants rule as king after you.” 

Psalm 132:11

 

Happy new year to you, friends! I hope you had a great holiday and are ready to continue walking

with God in this new year. God has done so much already and in this new year, He will

continue the work He started all those years ago. He has so much more in store for you.

It’s good to be back writing and I am expectant about what God has in store this year.

 

God’s promises to us are sure. He doesn’t take back what He has promised. He doesn’t change

His mind. When He promises, it comes to pass. When God promised David he would have

a son to rule when he died God is the one who brought it to pass in spite of David’s failings and weaknesses.

(remember the mess with Bathsheba)

 

If we are relying on our own abilities and strength to receive God’s promises then we have missed it.

He wants us to look to Him, to rely on Him. He is faithful to fulfill the things He promised us.

So as we go through the new year let’s remember His promises to us are sure. 

There is no “maybe” or “might” attached to His promises. They are sure and that’s enough for us.

Enjoy your weekend friends.

 

Rolain

 

 

When the year is not going the way I want it to go…..

I can’t believe we are already in March. Time is moving at an unbelievable pace.

As I look at the past two months I can say “things” have happened but I can also

see how there have been a lot of things that haven’t happened as well.

I have goals I want to accomplish which I have made throughout the year.

At the end of the year I review them and see how much progress I have made.

But as I look at the past two months I know I haven’t made as much progress as I thought

I would make.

These two months haven’t been smooth sailing as well. The enemy has tried to get me off

my game and his plan worked for a time. I am still recovering from his attacks…..

 

So yes, March is here and it doesn’t seem like much has happened as far as accomplishing

goals goes……So what do I do?

Does change only happen at the start of the year?

Do I have to wait for a new year to make the change?

Or can something be done now? Can a turn around happen today?

 

“For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, 

And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” 

Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of 

salvation.”

2 Corinthians 6:2

 

Today is the day according to that word. I don’t have to wait for end of the year to make

the changes that need to be made. I don’t need to wait for end of the year to tweak things

and try again.

We all have today to start anew.

Today is another opportunity given to us. We don’t need to beat ourselves up.

 

You don’t have to wait for end of the year to make the changes you need to

make. You don’t have to wait for the end of a year for YAH to turn your life around.

Today is the day. Today is the accepted time.

Don’t be despaired because things are going all wrong for you. You can cry out to the Lord right

now for mercy, for help!

Today, His mercy is available to you, His grace, His empowerment to do what He has called ‘

you to do. When we fall we can get up and try again.

 

We need His grace to live out this life.

We need His grace to move to the next level.

 

Be encouraged today friends.

There is a new hope today!

Bless you.

 

Rolain

How to pursue holiness….

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

The growing continues this year. Life hasn’t reset just because it’s a new year. The battles we were

fighting are still around. The giants are still holding their ground.

But each year brings with it new hope, that life will get better, that YAH will fulfill what He promised.

That the battles we fighting will be finally won and the giants will fall (they will)

Let’s keep sober and vigilant this year. Continue fighting, continue trusting YAH.

 

With that I want us to look at a scripture;

 

“Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and

of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self indulgence.

You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may be clean

also.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed

which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure.

Just so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and

lawlessness and iniquity. “

Matthew 23:25-28

 

The Pharisees focused on the external a lot. They didn’t give any attention to the inside. They didn’t think

working on the inner man was important.

 

This year may we put more work into the inside. The outside isn’t as important as the inner man.

Let YAH come in and work in you. Don’t be like the Pharisees who thought working on the outer man

was more important.

We want to be like YAH who is holy and who calls us to be holy.

 

We need to take all those ugly things that have taken root in our hearts to the Lord. We don’t

want them being a stumbling block to us. This won’t take a day, a week, a month, a year.

I don’t know how long it will take. All I know right now is that I need to do this.

What about you?

Bless you

 

Rolain

 

 

 

What has God put on your heart? Pray and keep praying…..

In one of my last posts of the year (2017) I spoke about YAH wanting us to go to new levels

in life. In this post I want to continue on that thread.

Today I want to talk about a new level in prayer.

There is another level of prayer for us to go to if we so desire. As we advance in the purpose

YAH has for us we need to also grow in our prayer life. Without prayer the chance of failing

increases hundredfold.

 

This week YAH has been showing me how important prayer is, in regards to the things

He has put on my heart, the dreams and desires He has put in me. He has been challenging

me to bring those things to Him constantly. He cares about the things on my heart, about the

desires I have, the dreams I have.

But there has been disappointment in the past. There have been things I believed Him for that didn’t

come to pass. There are things I am still waiting for and it’s been years waiting…..

I think that’s one of the reasons I have not been as vigilant in bringing ALL my desires, and dreams

CONSISTENTLY to Him.

But this is the thing, He knows everything in my heart intimately and love is what powers what

He does and does not do concerning the things in my heart.

 

What are some of the things that stop you from consistently bringing your desires and dreams to Him?

 

The Lord hears our prayers and answers them! Let’s look at a man I have spoken about before, Isaac.

 

“Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram,

the sister of Laban the Syrian.

Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea and

Rebekah his wife conceived. “

Genesis 25:20, 21

 

“Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob.

Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.”

Genesis 25:26

 

Isaac prayed for Rebekah who was barren and the Lord answered his prayer. That is amazing, but

even more amazing is how long he had been praying for. Over a period of twenty years Isaac prayed

to YAH! He didn’t give up on his desire, he never shelved it. He kept going to YAH with his desire.

He had faith YAH was going to do something or else he wouldn’t continue praying.

 

(On a side note: Isn’t it interesting that YAH joined Isaac and Rebekah together knowing full well

that Rebekah was barren and also knowing Abraham’s promise would carry on through them??!

Once again, YAH didn’t chose someone who was “able” but used someone

who couldn’t have children to be a vessel of His promise to Abraham about giving him descendants

as countless as the stars!!)

That’s a story for another day, let’s continue with the post………..

 

 

What has YAH put on your heart? What are you believing Him for?

Keep bringing your requests to Him in faith. Don’t give up no matter how long its been.

If you have given up then it’s time to get back up. Trust Him again. There is a reason He hasn’t

answered your prayer. Remember, its love that powers every thing He does.

 

The time is now to go to another level in our prayer life. Look to Him for help. You can’t do this alone.

He wants to help you get there.

We serve a God who hears our prayers and answers them friends. Keep praying and keep hoping.

 

Bless you

 

 

Rolain

 

 

Unseen……

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Does God see me?

Does He notice me at all?

To answer that I want you to look with me at a man named Matthias. He was the thirteenth disciple! (Acts 1:26)

I wrote a post on him two years ago so I am not going to tell his story again. Instead you can read his story here.

But what I want to do is answer those two important questions.

“So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from the men who were with us the entire we were travelling with the Lord Jesus-from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus resurrection.” Acts 1:21

For the entire three years of Jesus ministry we don’t hear of Matthias! He was in the background. What did he have to deal with in the three years of Jesus ministry? That question is hard to answer because there is not much on Matthias.

All we know is after three years he was chosen to take Judas Iscariot’s place. He was chosen to be a disciple!

He may have felt left out

He may have thought Jesus had forgotten about him,

but the truth of the matter is,

He wasn’t forgotten.

He was seen and noticed! God had a plan for his life!

Like Matthias, you are seen! You are not forgotten.

Your time will come. You may be in the background witnessing other people be exalted, getting married, and so on but your time will come. Be faithful like Matthias. He never left during the three years of Jesus ministry! He served God faithfully!

Did he deal with discouragement? Maybe!

Did he ever think he was not important to God? Maybe?

Despite all that he served God, he stuck with Him! That is all that mattered. He wasn’t seeking recognition with people.

Serving the Lord was what mattered!

Remain faithful to God this year. He sees you even if it feels like he doesn’t.

He is with you even if it seems like He has abandoned you! (that is a lie from the devil. He will never abandon you!)

He hears your prayers even if it seems like He has ignored you.

Happy new Year to you. 2015 is filled with such promise! God be with you all…..!

Rolain

What did He mean when He said that…..??

Photo credit: Google images

 

“They then said, What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be working the works of God? 

[What are we to do to carry out what God requires] John 6:28

Personally, I think this is a great question. The people who asked the question had just being rebuked by Jesus (see John 6:24-27).

The question is great but that is not what caught my attention! Jesus reply is what caught my attention. Look at it for a minute:

“Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He sent [that you cleave to, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger]. John 6:29

Our WORK according to the Lord is to believe in Him! I love how the Amplified says it,

“that you believe in the One Whom He sent [that you cleave to, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger]”

That can’t be all God expects from us! There has to be more surely!

There is more, but the main thing is to trust Him, to believe in Him!

This is how Jesus answer looks like in our lives:

In 2015 I believe this is what God is calling us to. Yes, we believe but we need to go deeper. We can’t say we believe but in the same breath try to work things out in our strength, or try figure how things will happen! I am so guilty of doing that.

How many times I have pushed God out of the driver’s seat

How many times I have tried to figure out life on my own

How many times I have forsaken the counsel of God because I thought I knew better

 

2015 may seem uncertain but believe in Him! Your work is to believe in Him.

Your future may look bleak but believe in Him!

Our job is not to figure out how things will happen, how God’s promises will manifest in our lives, No!

The “how” is what God is responsible for!

Your WORK is to believe [cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in Him]

Personally, there are a lot of things I am unclear about. There are a lot of things I have been wondering about! How will God bring that to pass, how will that happen, how how how????

But the word is clear. Our job is to believe, and we believe because

He is able!

He has a plan and a purpose for us (Jeremiah 29;11)

He loves us.

He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

 

So with that I charge you to believe! No matter how bad things are or confusing they seem, or unclear, BELIEVE!

The “HOW” is His responsibility!

He can be trusted!

Rolain

 

 

 

Looking after the other “Temple”…..

I have already spoken about how my year has been and what I am expecting for 2015. But in this post I am going to speak about something else that is very close to my heart. It’s a passion and desire I have had for many years.

A passion that has brought me joy and has grown me as a person.

And that passion is “Fitness and Health”!

I am passionate about being healthy and staying fit! The origins of that passion can traced back to about 2012 when I was introduced to a group of doctors who worked for something called “Maximized Living”. They are chiropractic doctors but with a difference and they changed my whole perspective on health and fitness.

According to these guys, nutrition, exercise, right thinking, and adjustments all play a part in what you call health! I am not a doctor so I will not even attempt to explain all they do. All you should know is because of them my view on health has changed drastically!

I used to drink soda’s before I met them (Coca – Cola, Pepsi and so many more but it’s been at least 2 years from the last time I had a soda.

I loved all things sugar but once again in the past two years my sugar intake has dropped significantly! I stopped having sugar in tea or coffee.

Honey has been a great substitute! But the battle continues. My desire is to stop ALL artificial sugars! That is the goal.

I have done lots of 5 kilometer runs and even purchased exercise equipment since meeting the maximized doctor’s! I have attempted Crossfit but I am not ready for that yet. There is some work to do till I can do Crossfit! 🙂

These are just a few of the things that have changed since I met Maximized clinic but what does all this mean and what am I trying to say?

My goal is to get you to think about your temple, your body!

We are the temple of God and it is our responsibility to look after it!

A lot of people have not made the connection yet! What you do with your temple will determine how far you will go in your calling!

I have heard it being said, How can you lead and look after the body of Christ when you can’t even look after your own body?

Crazy huh???

There is some truth to that statement. How we look after our bodies is connected to God’s purpose for our lives!

God wants us to live a long and fruitful life but how will that be accomplished if we eat and drink junk and don’t exercise???

How will that happen if you don’t look after yourself??

Please understand what I am saying. We have a part to play in how long we live but it’s God who has the ultimate say. I have heard of people who are health freaks die at a young age. God is the one who has a say on how long you live but you have a responsibility to look after your body.

Let me give you an example of how this plays out in real life. I am a kids leader and as a leader I have to be fit and energetic all the time. But what happens if I don’t exercise and I don’t look after myself? It will be hard to give of myself fully! I won’t be able to jump with them and rum with them and play with them because I am so unfit! So as a leader it is my responsibility to stay fit and eat healthy and think healthy!

I hope that has given you a clear picture of what I am trying to say! Our health is important. So as the new year comes there are a few things I need to do concerning health and fitness. I need to step up and eat better than I am doing now! What I eat has changed so much but I could do better. There are enemies that have to go down! Giants that need to be slayed!

Red velvet cupcake!

I need to make another point clear. I am not talking about total abstinence!! It is okay to have a slice of cake once in a while. It’s okay to have that cheesecake occasionally! It’s okay to spoil yourself but there needs to be a balance! I am serious, a better word would be, I try to be serious during the week and then I spoil myself during the weekend! But even during the weekend I don’t go over the top!

This “enemy” is going down! haha!

As 2015 fast approaches what are some of your health and fitness goals? If you have any??

Just remember to go at YOUR pace! Do what you can do. If your goal is to cut out one teaspoon of sugar compared to the 15 teaspoons you usually have then by all means do so! Haha…..Don’t change anything because someone is pressuring you. It needs to be what you want, a personal conviction.

It took me a long time to change the mindset I had and even now, change is still happening but it has been so worth it! And it’s just the beginning! I am getting healthier as I get older.  What will your testimony be?

As I conclude I would like to leave you with a thought:

She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.  Proverbs 31:17 (Amplified)

It’s interesting how the Amplified describes strength! Strength here is described as spiritual, mental and physical fitness! So if that is what strength is the question is,

Are you preparing yourself like the Proverbs 31 woman? As a Christian you are complete when you are working on all three areas. You cannot just focus on the spiritual! And you can’t just focus on the mental part. It has to be ALL three! You are the temple of God and you have a responsibility to look after it! But focusing on the spiritual is not enough. You need all three!

With that thought I will leave you friends!

God bless

Rolain